Sands of Time
by ThePhoenix2013
Summary: It's a year after TLO and now the story is focused on Travis and Katie. With the Olympians still recovering from the Titans and most demigods are gone, other titans are taking the rise and this time they are using humans natural body needs against them.
1. Returning to Camp

**Hey fanfiction readers! This is my first story and it's definitely OOC so I need reviews if I should continue it or throw it away in the trash for it to be forever forgotten (I know so dramatic! Lol). I don't care if the comments are rude or not because I wrote this out of boredom one day... BUT! I will continue and finish the story if you guys like it ;)**

**Katie's Pov:**

I took a deep breath as I observed myself in the mirror one last time. Long, wavy dirty-blonde colored hair with greenish hazel eyes, curves in all the right places, long legs, pink lips, and a very nice tan, I actually look really..._hot._ That was one of my goals this year, well subconsciously. Okay I know I sound like an Aphrodite daughter but hear me out; basically ever since 6th grade, when boys and girls really start to take interest of each other and I was first brought to Camp Half-Blood, I was classified as one of the _cute_ girls. I was perfectly fine with that until the summer after 8th grade when it got passed the awkward stage of dating someone else. I never wore glasses or had braces since my eyes and teeth were perfectly fine but I got stuck in the _she-is-like-a-little-sister-to-me _spot. So from 6th -10th grade, I was best friends with some of the hottest guys in school but I couldn't ask any of them out. Sure, I got asked out and kissed by some nice guys at that time because I know I wasn't ugly but it is still just about depressing as a dude being "just friends" with a hot girl. You can't go anywhere with that!

Anyway, back to the present, I'm 16 years old and just finished sophomore year in high school and I'm finally going back to camp, my real home. "Hey Kates! Are you ready?" my dad yells from down the stairs. "Yeah! I'll be down in a bit." I answered. I took one last look at my room, grabbed my luggage, and headed to the living room where the rest of my family was waiting. I don't have a complicated life back at home like other half-bloods have to deal with when living with their mortal families. My dad, William Gardner, and his sister/my aunt, Lillian Gardner, live together in a fancy apartment with her twins/my cousins, James and Elizabeth Gardner who are six years old. My dad and aunt aren't like other mortals either. My aunt can see through mist and my dad has like a weird sixth sense and knows when a monster or someone godly is near us. So all three of us working together, thankfully, has saved me countless of times and prevented me from being most wanted in America.

How my parents met was the typical 'older brother falls for sister's best friend' or 'sister's best friend falls for the brother' whatever way you want to spin it but anyway after a year in college of hiding feelings they tell each other on a romantic night and within two years I, Katherine Rose Gardner, was born. End of Story.

Finally, after thirty minutes, everyone got into the car and we made our way to camp. The twins immediately fell asleep and we all were in a comfortable silence. I can tell my dad hates this time of year because it's the worry-of-me-dying-and-never-coming-back type of summer but at least it has lessened since last summer against the Titans. Excitement bubbled inside me as we were nearing camp. The familiar road and trees were like happy greetings as we got closer and closer to my home. My dad barely stopped the car before I jumped out ran to greet Chiron who was standing at the edge waiting for new and returning campers.

"Hey Chiron! It's nice to see you again." I smiled. Chiron still looked the same with gentle brown eyes that looked a hundred years old.

"Hello Katie. Same to you. Now listen, I have chosen you to be cabin leader for this summer since Miranda went off to college and won't be a camper anymore." Chiron told me. I was ecstatic but a bit sad at the same time. Miranda was like a sister to me and helped me when I first got here four years ago. I promised myself that I would be just as good of a cabin leader if not more.

"Katie, dear. A little help please..." my aunt was failing epically at trying to carry my luggage. Dad rolled his eyes and easily picked up the luggage and brought it over to me. Aunt Lily just glared angrily at him and flicked him the bird behind his back. I stifled a laugh and told everyone bye and walked over to my cabin.

After of a couple hours of unpacking and setting up the cabin, everyone really started to enter camp. It was soon time for dinner in the dining hall. I quickly decided to take a shower and change into a casual green tank top with white shorts and some flip-flops. As I was drying my hair with a towel, I heard Travis' voice in the distance. "Hey Connor, I'll meet you in the dining hall later. I'm going to say hi to a friend." I scoffed, I would hardly consider me and Travis friends...more like acquaintances. I decided last summer that we were too old to be at each other's throats every second of the day so we made a mutual agreement.

"Greetings Katie!" he shouted as he just randomly entered my cabin. I screamed and threw the towel at him. "Gods! Have you ever heard of knocking? I could have been changing for all you know!" I said hotly.

"Umm yes I heard of knocking but I just didn't want to do it." I rolled my eyes but then immediately became self-conscious as he eyed me up and down. "And I definitely wouldn't mind walking on you changing." He joked, winking at me.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you." I replied, winking back but then quickly added, "I believe the great Travis Stoll just got dissed and dismissed." He stuck his tongue out and closed the door but not before saying that he will meet me in the dining hall. My thoughts turned toward Travis and how he looks now. He definitely got a lot hotter over the school year with his brownish-blonde colored hair, and piercing baby-blue eyes. He became muscular too, but not too bulky, and was now a couple inches taller than me. I would never tell him that though. Travis is already over egotistical and I won't put myself in a position to deal with '_I'm sorry Katie. Can you repeat that over and over again while I record your voice and make a video so I can put it on youtube?' _I shuddered at the thought. No way in Hades was I going to let that happen ever.

The dinner bell rang, signaling time for dinner. I wrapped my hair in a ponytail and sprinted to the dining hall to join the others. '_Please make this the best summer.' _I prayed silently.

**So that's the first chapter! Love it? Hate it? Need a couple more chapters to make an opinion? Let me know!**

**Remember I wrote this out of pure boredom so don't judge me on grammar/spelling mistakes!**

**Review please**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	2. Jokes, Pickup lines, Pranks

**Hey so I see that my story has attracted some interests so I'm going to continue. I have an idea on where the story is headed but I have a question: Would you guys prefer me to add some new people from whom you readers can create or use characters from the book? Just let me know in the review! I don't own PJO...sadly.**

**3****rd**** person Pov:**

"Hey. Who are you looking for my dear brother?" Connor said, grinning. "Is it a certain girl maybe a very hot person named...? OW! Okay! Just kidding... Damn... I was just stating a fact." Travis gave Connor an evil glare and continued to eat his food. Just then Katie had walked into the dining hall and Travis barely got a glance because she was soon surrounded by her brothers and sisters. The conch horn blew a few minutes later signaling the end of lunch and "Camp Time." It's another thing that CHB made up after the titan war so demigods won't also feel neglected by their peers either.

**Katie's Pov:**

Everyone gathered around and just started hanging out and having conversations about their day. Our cabin started talking about the upcoming movie, the Hunger Games. It sorta went like this...

"Omg, guys! Did you see the cast for the movie...I know...I didn't like their choice of casting... Idk, they did a pretty good job on choosing stars that were OK looking instead of too good looking... No way! I don't think the lead will be good enough to play a hardcore chick... I saw some of the movies that she was in earlier and mostly all of them she plays as a hardcore person... Are they supposed to have an accent because I think they live probably around the Virginia area while the Capitol is like in the Rocky Mountains...?"

I quickly got bored of the conversation and decided to hang out with the Hermes cabin. I plopped down a seat next to Travis just as Connor was about to give a joke.

"Okay," Connor started, grinning, "What's the difference between the way a northerner and a southerner starts a story?" All of us shrugged, waiting for the answer.

"A northerner would say 'once upon a time' while a southerner would say 'y'all ain't gonna believe this!'" Everyone started cracking up at the way Connor tried to sound like a southerner.

"Okay, Okay new topic!" Travis announced to the group. "How about lame/corny pick-up lines?"

"Ooh I got one! Are you a Pikachu? Because you are shockingly beautiful. Oh! Here's a real original: Are you as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside?" Connor joked. Everyone groaned at the lameness of it.

Mary, daughter of Hephaestus, made up one, "I want you...up against my Facebook wall." Everyone near her gave her a pat on the back for that one while laughing.

"I have one! Do you have a mirror in your pants because I can see myself in your pants." I said, giggling. The group erupted in laughter, shocking me how many other campers must have walked over to listen it on the jokes.

"How about lame/ corny pick-up lines that only Athena kids would use?" An Apollo boy named Jonathan suggested. Everyone agreed. Travis volunteered to start.

"If I was an endoplasmic reticulum, how would you want me: smooth or rough? " Travis asked. The group, or at least the ones that already took biology, started to laugh at that.

"I wish I was your coronary artery, so I could be wrapped around your heart." Destinee, a daughter Dionysus, joked. I rolled my eyes playfully as Travis put his arm around my waist.

Connor had one up his sleeve, "You're like an exothermic reaction. You spread your hotness everywhere!" Everyone groaned. Only Connor would have the worst ones.

Malcolm, a son of Athena, decided to make one up too, "You must be the square root of two, because I feel irrational around you." Everyone giggled.

I volunteered next, "Okay well this one is more poetic but I'll tell you guys anyway. Since distance equals velocity x time, let's let velocity and time approach infinity, because I want to go all the way with you." All the girls 'awed' while Connor took out a pen and paper and started to write something down.

"Conner, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm writing that one down! That actually sounds like it could work for the girls who like sensitive guys and if not then I could always use it for English class because we always write love poems around Valentine's day anyway." He answered, then stuffed the pen and paper back into his pocket.

"Well I would fall for that one, Katie." Vanessa, a daughter of Aphrodite, said. "That actually sounded sweet, very corny, but sweet all the same." The conch horn blew again signaling that it was bed time and everyone slowly got up and started walking back to their respected cabins.

I brushed off some dirt off of my shorts then turned towards Travis. "Well it was nice to see you again. I missed times like these." He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah, well see you tomorrow Travis." I answered, a faint blush rising to my cheeks. We stood there awkwardly for a second before we decided to hug. It felt so good to be in his arms again, but eventually we separated and I felt empty again. We both said good-night and walked away in opposite directions to our cabin.

I reached to my cabin then plopped right on my bed. _Holy mother of Hera, _I thought to myself, _do I like Travis? No way... _I shook the thought out of my head and changed into my pajamas. I decided to wear the casual tank top with shorts since it was pretty humid today. I crawled back into my bed and before another thought could pass through my mind, I was fast asleep.

**Travis' Pov:**

I finally reached my cabin and just let myself fall onto the bed. Connor casually sat across from in the couch. Now that we are older, some differences are beginning to show up so now people are starting to tell the differences between us. Connor now has darker hair than me and I'm a bit taller and have more muscle than him. "So..." he started, "You and Katie huh? It's kind of one of those things that you do expect but at the same time you don't."

"Connor, talk to me again when I actually give a crap about what you are saying to me." I answered, annoyed. "I swear if you weren't my brother, I would have mistaken you to be one the Aphrodite boys because you are just as interested in the camp gossip as they are."

Connor just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright... I'll stop prying into your life, for now." A mischievous glint came to his eyes. "Say... you want to do a prank on the Demeter Cabin tomorrow?" This grabbed my attention. "What did you have in mind?" I asked. Connor just grinned evilly.

**Katie's Pov:**

_In the morning..._

**"**TRAVIS ETHAN LEE STOLL!" I screamed. I barged out of my cabin covered in mud wearing nothing else rather than blue jeans shorts and a green sports bra. I ignored the cat calls and whistles as I headed to the Hermes Cabin. I spotted Travis along with his other cabin mates talking and laughing in front of their cabin. "TRAVIS STOLL!" I shouted at him. They stopped and turned to stare at me, wide-eyed. " I swear one of this days I'm going to find and stick the longest sword in camp up your-"

Travis smiled mischievously and turned to Connor. "Ha pay up brother! Told you I could get her to shout my name."

"No way! I meant she had to do it in a sexual way!" Connor shot back.

"Too bad! Did you know that there is a difference between what is _meant _and what is actually _said_? Like I always like to quote 'Say what you mean and mean what you say.' Looks like you need to go back to kindergarten little brother. Now pay up." Travis teased. Connor grumbled something inappropriate and handed over some drachmas to Travis.

I took several deep breaths, in an attempt to calm myself down. "Travis..." I said in a calmer voice, almost pleading. Travis walked up to me and casually rubbed off some mud that remained on my face and on my arms. I stared into his eyes. Great... Now I forgot what I was angry about. I took a step back and closed my eyes, having an internal battle with myself. Half of me wanted me to jump his bones and kiss him like there was no tomorrow but the rational part of me reminded me to stay strong and not give into temptation. I opened my eyes again to find him staring at my body. _Ugh! That sick bastard! _I thought angrily, trying to push away that fact that I was half enjoying this. "Hey Travis! My eyes are up here! " I snapped. He jumped then blushed, embarrassed about getting caught.

"Travis..." I started again. "As much as I enjoy the occasional mud bath, interrupting my shower with mud spewing out all over my cabin is not what I had in mind!" I glared. I noticed that his eyes started to wander again. "TRAVIS!" I screamed again. "Could you please take your eyes off of my chest for a second? It's hard to yell when you aren't paying attention!"

"What Kates? I'm a guy! And a hot-looking athletic chick coming over wearing fewer clothes than usual is kind of drawing more attention." Travis said incredulously. I narrowed my eyes and started walking off into the opposite direction. Travis ran up in front of me. "Katie, I'm sorry alright? I apologize."

Just then my sister Violet ran up to us. "Err am I interrupting something?" she asked, smirking. I felt a faint blush rise to my cheeks and quickly pushed Travis out of the way.

"No, of course not." I answered. "What's up Violet?"

"Chiron wants to talk to all of the Cabin Leaders and yes Travis is now the Cabin leader for Hermes Cabin since Luke..." she trailed off. I felt bad, she knew Luke for a long time and considered him as a good friend. "Well anyway," she brushed it off, " Like I said, Chiron wants a meeting with all the Cabin Leaders, he says that the oracle is waiting to be heard by you guys."

**Ooh! A cliffhanger! Well sort of... Lol. Hope you liked this chapter because it is pretty longer than usual. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and hope more people read the story. I want to say just for future reference that I'm a southerner myself so I hope no one is offended with the joke. My cousin told it to me and I thought it was hilarious. The jokes and pick-up lines are also not mine, they came from either google or my friends from school. Okay well like I said in the beginning, if you want your own personalized character in this story then just say so in the review in this format. The first people who submit this will probably be the other Cabin Leaders ;)**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Demigod/ Satyr/ Nymph/other:**

**Godly Parent:**

**Mortal parent(s):**

**Power(s):**

**Background Info (if any):**

**Personality:**

**Style:**

**Favorite type of music:**

**Any additional info that you want to put or I just forgot to type down lol:**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	3. Introductions and Prophecy

**Hey ppl! Super sorry that I took FOREVER to upload but I'm really busy this summer taking summer CLASSES not SUMMER SCHOOL (gosh I'm not dumb lol jk)...yeah so I wanna graduate on time with the rest of my classes in two years so I have a lot on my plate. Also, thanks to everyone who submitted a character and reviewed! For the characters in this chapter, I had to do some extensive research so let's hope that it pleases you **

**FYI:**** There are two Katie's in this so from now on in order to differentiate them if in different pov's, Katie Gardner will just be 'Katie' or 'I'(if in her own point of view) while Katie Knapp will look like this Katie(K) when she speaks or does something. You all got it? **

**Everyone in the whole freaking world knows that I don't own PJO so I'm just depressing myself every time I have to state this OBVIOUS fact.**

**On with the story!**

**Katie's Pov:**

After saying bye to Violet and finding a Camp Half-Blood shirt, Travis and I walked to the Big House. We entered through the doors to find the other Cabin Leaders, even some of the leaders for the minor gods and goddesses. We quietly took our seats with the others at the huge oval-shaped mahogany table. Everyone was having small conversations so I took the time to notice the leaders who were here (other than me and Travis).

Malcolm Mason: son of Athena. 17 years old, straight blond-hair, grey eyes, 5"11, black thin-rimmed rectangular glasses but still pretty darn good-looking but definitely not my type. He is a pure genius but is definitely impatient at times. Anyway, he actually managed to find himself a girlfriend, which brings us to the next person.

Vanessa Hathaway: daughter of Aphrodite. 16 years old; she isn't all about make-up or whatever crap regular Aphrodite children talk all day about. Vanessa is super smart; not Athena smart but you get what I mean. With mid-length dark brunette colored hair, deep violet eyes, and ruby red lips, she is absolutely stunning.

Mary Turner: daughter of Hephaestus. 16 years old; Super-fit, African-American, and the best blacksmith in the whole world. Thank the gods that Beckendorf made sure that she knew as much, if not more, than him about creating and fixing things in the instance if he died in the titan war.

Chris Evans: son of Ares. 15 years old; just like any Ares kid but at least he thinks about stuff before just fighting anyone. He is definitely good-looking with dark reddish-brown hair with brown eyes and muscular body. Totally blunt and honest with anyone and doesn't beat around the bush.

Leila McCarthy: daughter of Khione. 15 years old; she is probably one of the most determined people I ever met. Definitely not afraid to speak her mind or stand up to anybody. Although it takes time for her to warm-up to you, with raven black hair, pale skin, ice blue eyes, and pale pink lips, she can definitely intimidate a lot of people.

Katie Knapp: daughter of Nike. 14 years old; totally fits the definition of a jock. Sporty all the way even with her looks; dark brown eyes and hair with a streak of red. She is the youngest cabin leader at only 14 years old but she has proven that she has the skills to win every time.

Jake Ryan: son of Apollo. 17 years old; what can I say? He is basically the definition of a hot dude. He has tanned skin, sparkly blue eyes, and soft blond hair with a few streaks of grey to bring out that mature look in him. He makes girls swoon everywhere he goes and an extra bonus is that he has a good personality and isn't a jerk.

Jake waved me over to give him a hug. I rolled my eyes before running up to him to give him a hug, a friendly peck on the cheek, and then flicked him in the forehead.

"Oww! Damn you are mean..." Jake said, feigning a hurtful look while rubbing his forehead.

"Ugh, you are such a baby." I snorted.

"Eh, but you love me anyway." He replied, sticking out his tongue.

Whoa now... before anyone gets any ideas, first off, Jake is my cousin by mortal blood. My father has another sister named Linda Ryan. Even though my dad and my aunt Lillian had that whole abnormal mortal thing, Aunt Linda was still kinda considered the black sheep of the family due to her not becoming what their parents wanted all three of them to be: scientists, doctors, or researchers. Aunt Linda was always more of the adventure type and wanted to travel the world so she left to live her dream and met Apollo somewhere along the way and BAM! Jake is born. Then about one year later... BAM! I was born. I can still picture Aunt Lillian cracking up and dad cursing her out under his breath when she is retelling us the story of that 'very informative' Christmas when two siblings are pregnant and their parents' reactions or should I say lack of a reaction to the news. _Ahhh... so many colorful and creative words were exchanged that night._

Yeah so some people know about us being cousins...okay well everyone in the whole freaking camp knows except Travis. I honestly wanted to tell him a long time ago but Vanessa basically freaking kidnapped me and gave me the longest lecture about "how to lure a boy in" and that one of the rules is to "show that a lot of guys are interested in you"... blah, blah, blah. Vanessa somehow managed to make the camp keep it a secret too.

I walked back to my seat as Travis was trying to burn a hole through Jake's head with his eyes. Rachel, our oracle, stood on a podium in front of the room. She cleared her throat, obviously requesting our attention. "Yeah so..." she started, looking awkward, "this has never happened before. Usually someone goes to the oracle to receive a prophecy but now the prophecy is requesting you guys so let me know how bad it is." All of laughed uneasily at her joke. Usually anything new immediately equaled a whole new level of bad.

She walked around and stood in front of the podium, head down. Rachel took a deep breath before her head snapped up unnaturally fast, eyes glowing bright green.

_Within a year..._

_A family from night and darkness shall rise_

_To redeem their power through the Gods demise_

_Council Leaders of seven shall step forth_

_Daughter of Harvest and Son of Commerce _

_Bond of Unknowing love will strengthen or decease_

_All eight will return alive but one is lost forever_

_Secrets between others shall be revealed_

_Trust between Gods and Demigods_

_Shall be put to the final ultimate test_

Rachel's eyes returned to their normal state. "So how was it?" she asked.

"It didn't seem as bad as we all thought it would." Katie(K) admitted, playing with her red streak of hair.

"But then again we need to decipher it so we know what we are up against." Leila added.

Malcolm nodded. "Leila's right. We can't afford to take anything for granted now." He turned to Rachel. "Rachel I don't know if you want to stay or go-"

"Eh I'll leave. I think I did my part of the job already and I got some paintings to finish anyway. Good luck you guys!" Rachel said, walking up the stairs.

"So... Let's get started shall we?" Jake announced.

**Sorry...I know this chapter is crappy and short but this chapter is mostly informational about the characters in the story but now the real plot and action is going to start taking place. Once again I apologize for the long wait so to make it up I'm going to update chapter 4 later today and hopefully if I have time (if I don't hang out too long with my dad for father's day lol) also a chapter 5! People can still submit characters and please tell me how you want them to look like lol. I forgot to add that in the last chapter so I had to private message some people to ask. Use the same format shown in the last chapter to submit a character!**

**Review plz! On second thought... Don't review...I don't wanna be reminded on how crappy it is :/ wait for chapter 4 and then review lol**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	4. Discussions

**Hey so here is chapter 4! I got a couple of questions about me including Percy, Annabeth, etc. I am planning to but they will be more minor characters or helpers throughout the quest rather than main characters because I think they already had their moment of glory in the titan war lol. It has been a long time since I read the series but I'm going to put the story like they are a year or two older than everyone else rather than the same age so most of them are trying to live normal lives especially since I think they were more traumatized in the titan war. I'm open to opinions if you like this idea or not. But if you don't then give me suggestions about what I should do with them.**

**Hope you guys like it!**

**Katie's Pov:**

Within like 10 minutes of discussion all of us were in a heated argument. Everyone had their opinions, fears, tactics, and plans. Plenty of people will say that the most dangerous situation to be in is in a natural disaster or an angry mob. I realized that the most dangerous is a crowd of scared people. With fear comes anger, confusion, and frustration. Common logic is thrown out the window as people search for the easiest way to escape their fear no matter the cost.

Malcolm just looked tired as he tried to calm everyone down but failed and now he looked like he was about to give up. Katie(K) suddenly stood on the table and screamed at the top of her lungs. "EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP! WE ARE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT! I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS SCARED BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE DETERMINE WHETHER OUR FUTURE IS DESTROYED OR NOT AND I DON'T THINK WE ARE GETTING ANYWHERE ARGUING WITH EACH OTHER! JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO MALCOLM!"

Everyone stared at her shocked. I felt like crying but I held it back to not show signs of any weakness. Malcolm gave her a look as in to say 'thank you.' I sat back in my seat, arms folded across my chest, and focused my attention to Malcolm.

"Okay well I think we should focus on the prophecy piece-by-piece so let's start with the first two lines." Malcolm suggested.

"The prophecy said, 'A family from night and darkness shall rise to redeem their power through the Gods demise..." Travis repeated.

"They must mean the goddess Nyx and god Erebus. She is the goddess of the night and he is god of darkness." Jake concluded.

Chris looked confused. "I thought Artemis was goddess of the night?"

"No she is goddess of the moon but she is associated with Nyx but their relationship is more of the 'keep your friends close but keep your enemies' closer' sorta thing. Besides, the prophecy said 'a _family_' and Artemis is a maiden goddess so that rules her out." Vanessa answered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"All right well since we all agree to that..." Malcolm whipped out his laptop. "Let's do a bit of research and see what we can find." Everyone gathered around Malcolm; Vanessa and Katie (K) leaning over his shoulders.

"So Nyx and Erebus do have a family...a big family." Katie (K) stated.

"But look, most of them were sent back to Tartarus in the Titan War so those guys aren't reappearing for now so that leaves mostly the immediate family members." Leila pointed out.

"Okay so their family tree goes like this: Nyx (goddess of the night) + Erebus (god of darkness) = four sons who are named Phobetor/Icelus (god of nightmares in dreams in form of animals or monsters), Morpheus (god of dreams), and the two twins, Hypnos (god of sleep) and Thanatos (god of death). Hypnos+ Pasithea (goddess of hallucination) = Phantasos (god of dreams of fantasy; appeared in dreams in form of inanimate objects)." Mary concluded. Everyone thought over about what she said for a few seconds then nodded slowly agreeing.

"So they are going to try to take over Olympus?" I asked.

Malcolm made a face and nodded. "They are like vultures or an opportunistic infection. After destruction has been done by something else and is weakened, they just swoop in and take over and finish you completely."

"What cowards...they can't fight like real enemies." Chris grumbled.

" are like masterminds. They let other people do their dirty work and after that is done then they come in and take over and get the credit. It is just the way our society is." I pointed out.

"Well they think that we are weak enough for them to control so we have to prove them wrong." Katie (K) said.

**Travis' Pov:**

I honestly tried to pay attention but Katie's legs kept attracting me. I didn't want to look like a creeper and stare at her legs forever but they looked really good. They were long, nice, tan...Stop Travis! Katie already hates you for yesterday. When she was wearing her green sports bra and shorts... Gah! Gods help me...

Katie glanced at me and gave me a small smile and took my hand as in to say 'you're forgiven.' Okay so whether you believe this or not...we started to play thumb-wrestle with our hands under the table while pretending to pay attention to what was being said. I think it's a secretive way for us to hold hands without making it look like we are holding hands.

"So the next line says 'Council Leaders of seven shall step forth'" Jake said.

"Easy enough. Seven out of nine of us are going while two of us stays here. We just have to figure out which two are staying." I finished. Malcolm nodded and continued.

"'Daughter of Harvest and Son of Commerce; Bond of unknowing love will strengthen or decease'" Malcolm repeated.

"Self-Explanatory!" Everyone said at once then laughed while Katie and I blushed.

"Hmm 'All eight will return alive but one is lost forever.' What do you think that means?" Katie (K) asked.

"This is the only part that I'm still trying to figure out..." Malcolm said quietly while thinking.

"Does that mean that one of us won't return?" Vanessa asked, close to tears.

"Wait but remember before... it said seven of us will leave. How will we come back with eight? The two people are already staying here so they will be safe in camp so it can't be them. But then again how can the prophecy say all eight will return safely but one is lost forever? How can you be lost but still return back to camp?" Leila asked.

"You know what... my head hurts from all this thinking and I think we have had enough of today. Lets sleep on it and tomorrow at 10am we come back and discuss our thoughts about it. The last two lines are easy so we don't need to go over them. Sounds good?" Chris suggested. Everyone agreed and left to do their own things.

Katie and I stood up but not before beating her in thumb-wrestle and left out of the Big House. We walked together closely, our arms occasionally brushing against each other. Katie had her 'thinking mask' on which, I hate to admit it, found it cute. "You know," I said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "The way your face is right now I should get a stamp and place is on your forehead so it can read 'processing...'." She slapped my finger away from her face and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Sorry I'm just thinking about the prophecy." She said.

"Really? I thought you were thinking about Connor!" I said, feigning a surprise look. She laughed and playfully shoved me away.

"You know...I think we should Iris Message Annabeth and Percy." Katie said.

"Why?" I asked, actually surprised by her spontaneous idea.

"Maybe they can help us in figuring the proph-"Katie started.

"No." I replied, interrupting her. I stood firmly in front of her, my hands resting on her shoulders. "They did their job already and I don't want to burden them with another prophecy in our hands. They clearly stated that they wanted to live as much of a normal life as possible so I don't want to include them unless we really really have to."

Katie sighed, "You're right. But can we still message them just to say hi?" She looked up at me, hopeful.

I sighed, "Alright."

We entered the Demeter cabin and walked up to their garden fountain. I pulled out a drachma and handed it to Katie. "O Goddess Iris. Please accept this offering. Show me Annabeth Chase, New York City."

A vision appeared of Annabeth apparently working on some blueprints for a building. "Hey Annabeth!" We called out simultaneously. Annabeth jumped then turned with a look of annoyance on her face but when she recognized us she smiled.

"Hey guys! What's up?"She greeted.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to say hi and how's college life." I answered casually.

"Life is good! College is eh but definitely better than high school. I'm just working on one of my many architectural projects for class. Ugh... I waste so much paper that I'm pretty sure that the tree in front of our apartment building wants to grow legs and come up to kill me to avenge its family. Then don't even get me started on Juniper's everyday rant about my waste of paper. I'm starting to prefer the killer-tree theory." Annabeth said as she made a face. We all laughed as Percy came through the door.

"Can you believe Thalia? I have been trying to get her but then it just goes straight to her voicemail!" he complained. "Then her voicemail is 'Hey this is Thalia. I don't feel like picking up the phone so leave a message at the tone. Or I'll strike you.'" Percy imitated Thalia's voice then went deep when he said 'Or I'll strike you' part.

I smirked, Katie giggled, and Annabeth rolled her eyes and muttered 'Seaweed Brain.' Percy looked up and noticed us. "Hey! Travis! Katie! Long time no see." he smiled

"Hey Percy. So hows it going?" Katie asked.

Percy shrugged his shoulders, "Same old, same old. A couple of monsters here and there but nothing big. How is Camp Half-Blood?" Katie and I shared a look.

"Well...it's camp." Katie answered, uncertainly. Now Percy and Annabeth shared a look.

"Really? Anything new popped up?" Percy questioned.

"Sorry but it looks like our time is up! Talk to you guys later!" I said quickly and swiped through the vision.

"Well that was close..." Katie said. I nodded. We remained silent for a minute.

"I'm gonna head to my cabin and call it a night. See you later." I said, walking out and Katie walked me to the door. She gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for everything Travis. You really are my best friend." Katie smiled and closed the door.

I smiled and walked back to my cabin and fell asleep.

**Katie's Pov:**

_In the morning..._

I woke up at 7:30am so I decided to change into a turquoise tank top with designed lace at the edges, white shorts, and left my hair down in natural waves. It was still early so I turned on the TV, lowering the volume so my siblings wouldn't wake up, and watched the world news. I curled up on the couch and listened intently.

_Announcer: "Breaking News! A weird phenomenon is happening to the people Mykonos. Mykonos is off the coast of Greece, one of those many islands. The people are calling it 'Sleeping Beauty Syndrome'. Children, as well as few adults are being affected. They are sleeping for days on end with no apparent symptoms. Adults have to violently shake their kids in order for them to wake up and eat, etc. Unfortunately this is leading to a growing number of brain damage to children particularly infants due to the suffering of 'shaken-baby syndrome'. Scientists and researchers are working hard to find information on this strange occurrence but none has been found so far so until then this is Debby Ferguson reporting. Back to you Dave..."_

"Oh my gods..." I whispered. I sprinted out of my cabin and ran to the Athena cabin in order to find Malcolm. I pounded on the door and shouted, "Malcolm! Open up! This is an emergency!" Malcolm opened the door wearing jeans and a Camp Half-Blood shirt.

"Hey Katie. What is- Ahhh!" He yelled, as I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the Big House. I pushed him down on the couch and turned on the TV and made him listen to the news. I was way too upset to say anything and just watched Malcolm's expressions as the news went on. When it was done, I turned off the TV.

He turned to me and seriously said, "We need to get the others now. We don't have much time." Within 5 minutes everyone was here. Most of us were still in our pajamas and sleepy. Malcolm took the remote and showed everyone the news on the TV.

"I realized that we missed one piece of crucial information that the prophecy told us. In the very beginning it said _'Within a year'_. That could mean anything between today and the next nine months." Malcolm admitted.

"And apparently it's starting now." Leila added.

"We need to look back over the information that we do have. There is something that we are missing." Jake said, frustrated.

"I don't know about you guys but I call watching the television so see if I see anything out of the ordinary." Chris announced, quickly leaving the room.

"Well he moves fast." Vanessa stated bluntly, arms crossed.

"Whatever. Forget about him. But he may find something, knowing him." Mary said.

"Okay let's review everything that we know." Katie(K) suggested. "We are dealing with gods and goddesses of darkness, night, and objects so I'm guessing generally the mind because of the word 'dream.'

"Good." Malcolm commented. "Okay well if seven of us start off but eight of us returns that could be the possibility that someone is going to join the group of seven during the quest and return with them. The two people here will just be here I guess helping in some way or form and will be out of harm's way."

"Alright," I agreed, "So that leaves the 'one that will be lost forever'... Leila's question before is right on the spot. How can you return to camp but be lost at the same time?" Chris returned to room. His face had the exact expression of undeniable terror.

"I know how," he said. "That one person will return to camp but... only physically. They will be mentally unstable..."

"They will lose their mind forever." Travis announced.

**Wow...I hope that was a dramatic ending for you guys! This chapter was long and took me a while to write but you guys are worth it lol. I imagined dark dramatic background music to be playing as they figured it out. Hope you guys liked the chapter! Submissions for a character are still open!**

**Review plz!**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	5. Emotions Run High

**Hey fanfiction readers! Chapter 5 has finally arrived! Okay so I have to admit...I'm sorta disappointed in the lack of the number to reviews BUT I do understand that it is summer so everyone has their own thing to do. I'm excited on how this is starting to unfold and for once I'm not feeling embarrassed about the story when I reread it to myself. I want to send a special thanks to gogreen216 and psylocke13 because I seriously think that they are like my #1 readers lol. Anyway I don't own PJO so give the credit to Rick Riordan...**

**On with the story!**

**Travis' Pov:**

The magnitude of the situation just seemed all too much. I mean, at least in the titan war, we had a couple of years to prepare but now... here we are still in the reconstruction after one big war and now we have possibly another one approaching right now. The room suddenly felt like it was suffocating us so we all decided to walk down to the beach. Chris plopped down into the sand and the rest of us followed his example. I kicked off my shoes and turned to Malcolm. "So any ideas on the plan to defeat those sons of a bi-"Jake interrupted me by clearing his throat as a group of younger campers were passing by, apparently heading to archery class.

"Well I did do some research last night on them and I came up with two plans. Each are for which location we might be fighting on. One is easier and less risky but the problem is that it is the least likely place where they are going to chose. The other is a lot more risky and we are going to do something that no other demigod has ever done before..." Malcolm replied.

I think just then Vanessa lost it and started to cry in hysterics. "It's not fair! It's not fair!" she repeated over and over again. Malcolm tried to reach over to comfort her but she jumped up, wincing out of his grasp. "Why should we go through this again? We are weakened to the bone and now the gods want us to fight again!" Vanessa screamed.

"Vanessa... calm down! We can work this-"Katie started.

"Don't you dare tell me that this will work out! I believed and trusted that phrase in the Titan War and you know where that got me? My brother, that only member left of my family, was brutally murdered right in front of me when I was too shocked to help him." Vanessa whispered, threateningly. "You know... I never truly understood this before but I'm starting to realize why demigods, even after they were claimed, switched to the Titan's side. We are being used as their soldiers, to fight for their repeated mistakes and die because of it. They are bastards for allowing their own children to die for them." Lightning flashed as thunder boomed loudly in the distance.

Everyone, except Vanessa, jumped from the sound. Jake slowly rose up to his feet, "Vanessa you gotta stop saying that about the gods. They are starting to get angry. Just please calm down." He pleaded slowly.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE GODS! THEY CAN ROT AT THE BOTTOM OF TARTARUS FOR ALL I CARE!" Vanessa screamed. Then there was suddenly a hurricane-like thunderstorm whipping through camp. Some roofs of the cabin blew off and we could all hear the peeling of wood from its hinges. Everyone cowered and covered their ears as the wind howled. The lake, in a matter of seconds, was flooding the camp and the endless water just seemed to keep pouring in.

"What do we do now?" Katie(K) yelled.

"Aren't we supposed to go to the Big House?" Mary asked loudly. Everyone silently nodded and trudged through the storm into the Big House. We finally entered through the doors to find the whole place dimly-lit and crowded full of campers. Astrid, daughter of Zeus, was keeping roll of all the campers to make sure none of them was left out there alone. She was stopped by a grown teenage boy, around 15 years old, and was talking with him intently. His back was turned when all of a sudden she pointed towards us then hurried off to find another camper.

He started to walk toward and I quickly took notice of his features. Jet-black hair, olive-toned skin, black depthless eyes... It was none other than Nico Di Angelo.

**Katie's Pov:**

I watched intently as Nico approached us but I glanced to the side and noticed that Katie(K) had a slight tint of blush on her cheeks. Whoa wait... Katie(K) NEVER blushes. She glanced at me as I gave her _I-saw-that-and-we-will-talk-later _look. She turned her head away from me and focused her eyes to the ground, or anywhere else except for me. Nico approached us with a smirk but at the same time had a serious tone. "Soo...which one of you guys pissed off the gods?"

Vanessa silently yet boldly took a small step forward. "I did." She admitted quietly. Nico gestured her to follow him. As Nico and Vanessa walked to another room, Malcolm started to follow also before getting stopped by Leila. "No. They need to have a talk." She said calmly.

Malcolm's face hardened. "But I'm her boyfriend." He tried again to pass her only to be stopped yet again. Leila shook her head. "They need to talk _alone_." She repeated with emphasis. Katie(K) and I stepped up behind her as reinforcement.

Malcolm persisted still unfazed. "I want to talk to her!" he yelled, angrily. For a split second, everyone was taken back. Malcolm never raises his voice. He is always cool, calm, and collected. I immediately got angry with this whole situation and confronted him.

"Don't you get it? She doesn't _want or_ _need _you right now!" I yelled back. Oops, didn't mean for it to sound that harsh but it's already out there so might as well continue... "Gods Malcolm! All you are going to do is talk logically and remind her of what she has been hearing for the last 2-3 years. She doesn't need logic, she needs empathy. _Empathy_, Malcolm!"

Leila decided to interfere, "Katie's right. I know Nico pretty well. Heck, he was the one who brought me to camp. Look, Nico knows was Vanessa has been going through. He went through it himself when he was promised that his only sister was going to return back okay and she didn't. She needs a person whom she can relate to." Leila said, gently.

"Don't worry Malcolm. She will be fine... I think she just needed to scream and let some emotions run out. Vanessa just needed to blame everyone and their mom." Chris joked. After a couple minutes, Malcolm excused himself saying 'he just needed some time to clear his head.' Everyone sorta after that dispersed around the Big House since the storm was still raging outside. I decided to hang out with Katie(K).

I plopped down on the couch next to her as she mindlessly played with her hair. "So Miss Knapp, anyone catch your eye lately?" I winked.

"Duh...it's that guy Nico... That's his name right?" She asked. I nodded happily.

"Yeah, he's a cool dude once you get to know him. He's hot but not my cup of tea. He's too serious for my taste." I answered, truthfully.

"I like him." She stated. "...and he is only a year older than me." She grinned.

After talking for a few minutes, I decided to stand up. "Well good luck with him. Very few girls ever impress him so he is going to be a huge competition."

Katie(K) smirked. "I always love a good challenge."

**Travis' Pov:**

With the whole "emotional drama" going on, Chris and I decided to watch the news. Jake excused himself to probably go find Malcolm and comfort the poor guy. I noticed Katie appear from the crowd of campers surrounding the TV. She saw me and smiled. I smirked and patted my lap so she could sit. Yep, that's just me trying to be a good friend because best friends sit on each other's lap all the time... I think. She rolled her hazel eyes before walking over and sitting. After a few awkward moments, she finally relaxed and watched the TV, leaning against me. _No inappropriate thoughts, no inappropriate thoughts..._ I silently chanted to myself in my head. Another 'breaking news' appeared on the screen so all the half-bloods nearby gathered around and listened.

_Announcer: Here is breaking news! It seems that the disease is going from an epidemic to a pandemic! The illness is now spreading throughout the rest of Eastern Europe. Scientists and researchers are scrambling to find what the cause is and what it can be cured with. The death toll continues to rise. Here is actual footage from our helicopter above of the remains of Mykonos, Greece. Apparently it's deserted, some houses are boarded up, scarcely any few people are walking around, and there are bodies littering across the island. It is just simply tragic. The President ordered that all air flights to be suspended till further notice..._

"Heyyy!" Everyone shouted when the TV was suddenly cut off. "It looks like the power went out." A random camper said.

Katie turned and looked directly at me. '_Gods, she is soo hot.' _I thought. "Hey we need to get the other and make a plan right now. We need to send these guys back to the bottomless pit of Tartarus. Playtime is officially over." She said, determinedly.

**Third person's pov:**

Within 5 minutes, the leaders were gathered in the conference room where they first heard the prophecy. Vanessa was still quiet but at least she was calm. Malcolm brought out his laptop and blueprints and displayed them across the table.

"Alright, here is the plan."

**Okay...well I have to admit that I'm starting to get writer's block. But I am soo going to continue anyway lol **

**I did saw this chapter kinda pointless but it was needed for later on explanation in the story. Please review or private message me to let me know what you think oh and character submissions are still open to anyone!**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	6. The Plan

**Sup people? Okay last chapter was kinda weak on my part and I apologize... I am breaking out of my writer's block so yay for me lol jk. We got some new character submissions! *insert girly scream here* so yeah new minor characters. I finally created the plot and action scenes and I found out how to insert some new characters without making it seem awkward or anything... so yeah I did plenty of research so I can get this right for you guys ;) I... don't... own...PJO (gosh I feel like tearing up every time I say that haha jk)**

**Here is Chapter 6!**

**Third person's Pov:**

Chris was shaking his head frantically, "Nuh-uh. No way. Malcolm, are you _insane_? We can't pull this plan off! There is absolutely no way..." Everyone shared worried glances at each other as Malcolm looked determined as ever. The plan did sound impossible, almost suicidal to an extent.

_Flashback:_

_Chiron, Nico, and the rest of the Council Leaders gathered in the room. Malcolm started to introduce his plan. "I created a plan and the plan is to have no plan." Everybody looked confused and uncomfortable._

"_Err...Malcolm. What do you mean?" Travis asked._

"_This family is a lot more dangerous than what people can give them credit for. They have the ability to mess with your mind which means any plan that you have in your head will be open to them when you are asleep." Malcolm said._

"_Whoa wait... we are going to fight the bad guys in our sleep? Are we copying that movie inception or something?" Chris questioned._

"_No...Well to some extent yes but not exactly. You see, Morpheus, god of dreams, did have an affair with a mortal once. His son, Christopher Nolan, is the director of that movie. He figured somehow that this was going to happen and created that movie as a warning. The only problem is that some things he was right about and others he either guessed or didn't know." Malcolm informed. "Now I do have a plan for this whole thing which means that I'm one of the people who stays here at camp. I can't go there or else they will know everything."_

"_Where is there? Where will we be fighting? No one is naming a place!" Katie(K) demanded, slightly frustrated._

"_I was getting to that." Malcolm said. "The fight will be in Morpheus' head." Everybody looked at him as if he had just grown three heads._

"_Excuse me?" Katie asked._

"_You heard me," Malcolm said. "The fight is in Morpheus' head. When we dream, people believe that it is in our own head but actually our 'spirits' I guess you can call them, travel to Morpheus by Hypnos. He had access to your mind and knows every thought, secret, plan, just basically anything from anybody. Now you see why I can't tell you guys the plan."_

"_Oh my gods..." Vanessa muttered._

_Malcolm decided to continue, " Now I teamed up with Mary and she is now creating a Memory machine that allows us to probe through your brain and pick which thought or memory we don't want the enemies to know about. For example, family members or friends. So unfortunately, you guys won't remember important facts about each other or this conversation for that matter when the battle begins. You will only know me as Malcolm and will know that you can trust me but there will be no feelings of friendship or love nor will you know my appearance. It will be the same for the other seven of you but memory and feelings of parents, siblings, and other friends not associated with this quest will be completely erased. So technically you all will be reacquainted with each other again and will be smart enough to know whom you can trust and whatnot. Nico here is already shadow traveling to your friends and family and temporarily erasing their memory so the plan is already in motion."_

_**Katie's Pov: (still flashback)**_

_My mind was like racing a million miles per hour. Only bits and pieces of the plan were being processed through my mind. I won't remember my dad, my aunts, James and Elizabeth, fellow campers, Leila, Katie(K), Jake, Travis..._

"_So all we will be are mindless killing machines?" Chris said, frustrated._

_Malcolm turned to him. "Well if you want to put it that way then yeah. But don't worry...after the quest Mary and I will return your memory...and to your families also." Everyone relaxed a little more as Chiron quietly excused himself to speak with the oracle._

_Okay...so the precautions are undergoing so what about the quest itself? How will we even wind up in the head of Morpheus?" Katie(K) asked._

"_The family is literally making the dream a reality. I got an update about the situation of the already affected areas. Apparently everything is back to normal but it's not. The affected folks are in a dream-like state but they are awake, daydreaming in other words. This allows the enemy to be in control while in the real world. That is when they escape and...Weird unexplained things happen." Malcolm said._

_Nico interrupted for a moment. "I hope you guys do realize that this will hit and spread throughout the United States in about two weeks. This family isn't wasting any precious time. Chiron has ordered me to do emergency demi-god retrieval. I'm only getting the ones that know about Camp Half-Blood. So the others from the Titan War will be here shortly." Malcolm nodded in agreement._

"_Just to make sure that everyone is on the same page...Nico is the messenger, Mary and Malcolm will be the two staying in camp while the rest of us basically go out there and 'adapt to survive.' What communications are we using in order to talk to Malcolm, Mary?" Jake asked._

"_Well I created a special frequency ear piece that Malcolm will be able to talk to you guys while in the battle. He has a spot and plan for each individual person so all you have to do is listen to him, find each other, and go with your instincts, I guess." Mary informed._

_Leila decided to ask the question that everyone was dreading for. "What if the plan doesn't work? What will happen to us then?"_

_Malcolm looked down sadly. "I don't know... become mindless freaks maybe. I just know that this is the first time that the enemy is also using its powers to affect mortals, not just demi-gods so EVERYONE will be in some deep trouble if we fail."_

_Chris groaned. "This is making my head hurt... So we will be fighting in the 'real world' but the real world is slowly becoming Morpheus' head, which is the dream world? And we can still get killed and stuff, right?" Everyone nodded tiredly._

"_Remember we still have the choice whether or not we want to fight." Jake reminded everyone. Chiron entered back into the room._

"_Alright...meeting adjourned." Chiron ended._

_**End of flashback**_

**3****rd**** person's pov: (present time)**

"Look," Malcolm said, "I warned you guys that this plan was going to be risky and that the odds weren't going to be in our favor." He sighed, rubbing his temple with eyes shut. "They sent us a note or a deal/wager you would say a couple of days ago." Everyone turned in surprise.

"You mean 'they' as in the enemy?" Katie(K) asked. Malcolm nodded, eyes still closed.

"They made a deal saying that they will leave our camp alone in exchange that we don't fight against them. They gave us this package and inside is a red button. If it isn't pressed by tonight then they are going to assume that we will not fight and this package will disappear and Camp borders will strengthen to an extreme. I mean that no one, not even the gods could impenetrate the barrier. Nico wouldn't be able to 'poof' in and out even with his powers." Malcolm stopped himself for a second. He took out a metal box, placing it carefully in the middle of the table, and opened it to reveal a big shiny red button.

"So what did they say if we do press the button?" Vanessa asked quietly, staring intently.

Malcolm looked like he was in pain. "All they said was to be ready for the fight of our lives. They promised that the most recent Titan War will have some competition when deciding which one was most tragic." Everyone just stared at the button intently. "But just to end on a good note, they allowed us to name this war if we do decide to fight." Malcolm smiled a little.

Everybody got excited a little bit. Naming a war was something rare and very honorable if a hero was alive to name it. "So any name suggestions?" Jake asked.

"The Mind War? The Half-Blood War?" Chris suggested. Everyone shook their heads.

"No. They are the enemy is starting this so the name has to be something representing them." Travis said.

"Do we want to name it for who they are or what they are doing?" Mary asked.

"Whatever fits." Katie(K) shrugged.

"I got it!" Malcolm exclaimed. "What about the Psyche War?"

"Hmm... it does have a nice ring to it and it is related to what this war is about." Katie added. "I vote for it. Anyone who does not like the name, speak now or forever hold your peace." Everyone laughed.

"Alright well it is settled. We will fight this war and it is officially named the Psyche War." Leila declared as she slammed her hand on the red button. A slip of paper popped out of one of the box's slots as everything, along with the box itself disappeared. Leila grabbed the piece of paper as everyone else crowded around her to read the note. It only said four words, 'Let the games begin'.

**Hey so hope you liked this chapter:) I personally liked it haha:) Review plz!**

**Character submissions still open to anyone!**

**-PhoenicianKnight**


	7. New York Journey

**Hey readers! Sorry for taking FOREVER (again...) but I was busy, then got sick, and then became super busy again. The reviews for the last chapter was simply inspirational:) Thank you! I have ideas how I want the next few chapters to go so hopefully I can update more quickly.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO...**

**Here is chapter 7! (Finally)**

**Katie's Pov:**

"Ugh, remind me why we are heading to Olympus again?" Travis whined. The streets of New York were super busy and Travis' complaining wasn't helping the situation at all.

"Travis, I already told you! Malcolm doesn't think our camp barrier, even with the Golden Fleece, will protect the camp from the spreading "illness", so you and I are to go to Olympus and ask them for a favor." I answered, annoyed.

"But why do we have to do it?" he whined again. This time I stopped and turned around to face him. Travis was only a couple inches taller than me. His face looked a little tired but his eyes twinkled mischievously as if he is on-purposely complaining just to tick me off.

"Because everyone else is super busy doing other stuff to prepare and our jobs don't start until they finish." I said.

Travis smirked as he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me close to him. "You and I could be busy too." He winked. I quickly searched his face and realized he was joking...I think. _Oh yeah? Well two could play at this game..._ I smirked to myself. I hitched up my leg to his waist and pulled myself even closer until our faces were less than an inch apart. The look on his face was priceless as he definitely did not expect me to react like that. But then I decided to take it one step further. I started to rub my fingers through his soft hair and he closed his eyes. "You know what Travis?" I whispered, his eyes popped back open, "I'll make you a deal. The faster we get to the Empire State Building and back to camp; I promise that we will be so busy that Malcolm would have to ask the whole camp, even Dionysus, before he asks us for another favor." I held back a giggle as I saw his eyes glaze over, but then he snapped out of it and took a step away from me.

"Ohhh you are good..." Travis stuttered. I erupted in fits of laughter as Travis looked more awake than ever.

"Y-you...should...have seen... your face!" I laughed, clutching to my stomach. Travis just scowled and walked ahead of me mumbling about how we need to get to Olympus.

I ran to catch up to him. "Aww...come on Travis. I was just joking." I pouted. He just took a glance at me and then continued walking ahead. "Fine! Be that way..." I smirked.

_At Olympus..._

**Travis' Pov:**

I couldn't believe that Katie was able to pull that off. Usually, she would just blush and push me away but this time...it was kind of hot. It didn't help that she was wearing jeans shorts, a white v-neck shirt with multiple colorful spots of tye-dye, and black converse with her hair let down with loose waves. For a split second, I thought she was serious but then I saw her trying to hold back a laugh and I snapped out of it. _Okay so note to self: Katie can be very bold and tempting._

We finally got out the elevator and the sight of Olympus never ceased to amaze me. Katie took my hand and dragged me to the throne room. We heard shouts and arguing and a couple of crashes here and there. Katie and I stepped in and everyone froze. The sight could've made me laugh... if they weren't powerful gods and goddesses. Artemis was practically strangling Apollo. Poseidon and Athena were summoning every ounce of power that they had in order to try to kill each other. Zeus was cowering in fear as Hera gave him the worst killer glare. _Ahhh probably just had another kid again..._ Hermes and Iris were just chatting happily and dodging a few flying items. Demeter was shouting at Hades as Persephone was trying to defend him and Hades looked like he was ready to just summon the dead and end all of this nonsense.

"Ummm is this a bad time?" Katie said, shyly. All the gods and goddesses composed themselves as some entered and left the throne room hurriedly.

"No, no of course not." Zeus answered, quickly. "Sorry that you had to walk in and see that."

Demeter spoke up. "Katherine, my dear daughter, what have you and Mr. Stoll come for?" I noticed from the corner of my eye, Persephone giving Katie a death glare.

"We, as in Camp Half-Blood, would like to ask all of you for a favor." Katie said.

"Continue." Athena said.

"Well," I intervened, "as you all know, the family of Nyx and Erebus are planning to take over the world and Malcolm, son of Athena, fears that our borders won't be able to withstand their powers. We want you all to grant us the favor of using your powers to strengthen our borders so demi-gods within the camp aren't affected."

"No we can't do that." Zeus announced.

"Father! Why not?" Aphrodite shrieked. "They need our help!"

"It would be taking a big risk...giving the camp power will make us less powerful." Athena said, pondering.

"But, Goddess Athena," Katie interrupted, "Your son has made a well full thought-out plan on how we are going to defeat them!"

"Okay then what is it?" Hera snapped.

Katie and I exchanged glances nervously. "Err well you see, we don't know _exactly_ what the plan is and we can't discuss the information that we do know or else it will lessen our chances of winning." I answered sheepishly.

"So let me get this straight," Zeus boomed, "you want us to invest our powers in a plan that we don't have a clue about, therefore making ourselves more vulnerable than we already is from an approaching powerful family of enemies?"

**Katie's Pov:**

_Gods it did sound that stupid! This will take harder convincing than I thought." _I thought to myself. All the gods and goddesses either looked doubtful or were already convinced that they weren't going to help. Wait the prophecy said _trust between gods and demigods will be put to the ultimate test! _This is the test! Usually when demigods go on quests, the gods still retain their power in case of the event if the hero lost but now they have to sacrifice everything and trust us...

"Please!" I pleaded, "You have to believe that we do have a plan and it will work." The gods still looked skeptical.

"Goddess Athena, do you trust your son Malcolm, with everything?" Travis asked.

"Of course I do!" Athena said defiantly.

"Then prove it now. Show your children that you have faith in them, all of you." Travis gestured. "I mean it is the least you can do. You heard Vanessa last time, we had sacrificed our lives for you guys over thousands of years, I think it's about time you guys sacrificed your lives for us." Travis smiled mischievously.

"Why you little...!" Hera raged.

"Wait, I think the son of Hermes just made a good point." Athena said with a small smile.

"I hate to admit it but I agree with Athena on this one." Poseidon agreed.

"I'm in." Hermes announced proudly, beaming at his son.

Demeter turned to me. "Katherine, do you trust this son of Hermes and what he says?"

I grabbed Travis' hand as Travis and I turned our heads toward each other. We both stared into each other's eyes and I gave him a small smile and he smiled back. "Yeah, I trust him with my whole heart and being." I announced. Demeter nodded.

Aphrodite squealed in her seat. "I'm also totally in just because that was just soo romantic!" Ares rolled his eyes.

"Alright so we take a vote." Zeus announced. "All for helping our children raise your hands." Athena, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Ares, Demeter, Hades, Apollo, and Poseidon raised their hand.

"Well majority wins..." Zeus announced. The gods who voted smiled. "BUT although we agree to help, we are all not just going to sacrifice our powers all at once. Each of us will have shifts to protect the camp but we will protect our children."

"Wise enough." Athena nodded.

"Council dismissed!" Zeus thundered. Everyone 'poofed' out of the room until only Aphrodite remained smiling at us.

_Well this couldn't get any more awkward... _I thought. Aphrodite just simply walked up to us. "Good luck you two. I'll be watching." She winked and then poofed out of the throne room as well.

_Outside of the Empire State Building..._

"So what now?" Travis asked as we walked casually through the streets of New York. He draped his arm across my shoulders. It wasn't really romantic or anything but friendly. I shrugged my shoulders and looked up at him.

"Malcolm said that we were free for the rest of the day and it's like 10am so we have the whole day to chill." I informed him.

"Alright sounds good to me." Travis said.

Travis and I walked a couple of blocks just talking and joking around like we were the best of friends. We were approaching a grand hotel when they saw a family and several hosts bringing in their luggage. There was a man and woman, apparently married, instructing the hosts were to put some of the items they have brought. They had British accents. A girl, around our age, was sitting on the sidewalk. With all the commotion, anyone barely paid attention to her.

"We should go say hi." I whispered to Travis. I didn't know why but I felt like I had to at least introduce myself. _Hmm maybe it's because I have free time for once..._

"Why?" Travis asked.

"She looks new here and I think us welcoming her will make her feel more comfortable. I know what it is like to be in her position." I urged. Travis shook his head but reluctantly agreed. We approached her and her head snapped up. The girl had light brown hair, grey-blue eyes, fairly pale skin, but you noticed a few freckles, with a medium height and build.

"Hey I'm Katie and this is my friend Travis. Are you new here?" I introduced. She shyly nodded her head and mumbled a quiet "yes".

"I'm Lily. Lily Williams." She told us, while shaking both of our hands. Her British accent was fully evident in her voice.

"Simon! Tell them to be careful with that!" the woman shouted to her husband.

"Sorry that's my mom Carolyn. We are staying here in New York for a while because of...well you hear the news." Lily said.

"Cool so how old are you?" Travis asked.

"Fifteen. Turning sixteen later this year." Lily answered.

Just then, a couple of shouts were heard in the distance. Lily's parents walked up to us. The man, named Simon, had dark-brown hair with few streaks of gray with gray eyes. The woman, Carolyn, had black hair tied into a bun, with shining brown eyes. "Oh Lily, have you met some friends?" Carolyn asked politely.

"Yeah. Mom, dad, meet Katie and Travis. Katie and Travis, these are my parents." Lily introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you." Simon smiled. "Well we just finished unloading so Lily you are free to hang out with your new friends for a bit longer." Lily nodded and her parents entered the hotel.

All three of us were hanging out and having fun and Lily was super nice and actually quite talkative when she warmed up to you. An elderly woman approached us and smiled. I felt Travis immediately tense right beside me. "I'm sorry dears but could one of you possibly help me cross the street?"

Lily bounced up. "I'll be glad to do it! Guys I'll be right back."

The crosswalk was easily within view but still was quite a distance just to get there and then cross the street itself. There was also quite a bit of traffic. "Something is wrong." Travis said quietly toward me when they were out of hearing distance.

"What are you talking about?"I asked, "About Lily or the elderly woman?"

"The old woman, she is faking a limp and she is walking a bit too healthy for a woman who needs assistance crossing the street." Travis pointed out. I studied the old lady a bit more carefully. Her body structure was a bit odd, and then I noticed the outline of her jacket. They seem to take on the shape of bat wings? Panic and adrenaline surged through me as I figured out what the elderly woman really was.

"Travis! We need to go get Lily now!" I yelled pulling him up to his feet. We dashed and dodged cars, honking obnoxiously, as we raced to the middle of the busy intersection.

Lily and the old lady started approaching the middle of the street. I pressed a button on my bracelet and it turned into a sword which I named Ixora Ivory. Travis whispered something in Greek and pulled out behind him his own sword.

"Katie what's going on?" Travis yelled, as he dodged a car.

"You were right! Something is wrong about the old lady! She is really a-"Katie was interrupted when the old lady pushed Lily to the ground and flew up into the air revealing her true form of a fury. I saw Lily trying to back away but the fury aimed and starting to fly to her at super speed.

"Travis!" I yelled.

"I got it!" Travis said. He tapped his shoes twice and wings appeared. He flew toward the fury at top speed and knocked her away from Lily. "Get Lily out of here!" he instructed. I nodded and ran toward Lily and helped her up. After checking and making sure that she was alright I grabbed her hand and led her into a store.

"Stay here." I said, seriously. She nodded and hid behind a corner. I ran out of the store just in time to see Travis being thrown from the fury and heading into a bush. I aimed my hand toward the bush and it changed into a shape of a glove so it can catch Travis gently. I ran up next to him.

"I'm done playing games!" the fury hissed and then it replicated itself so now there were three of them.

"Err I didn't know they could that..." Travis pointed out.

"I don't think they are supposed to." I answered quickly. "Do we do the distract-and-kill method?"

"If I can fly fast enough..." He answered.

"Perhaps I can help..." We turned and saw Lily next to us.

"Lily! I thought I told you to stay put!" I said, surprised.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to sit and do nothing while my friends risk their lives. Besides if you need a distraction I can help with that. I don't know but I have this power...like teleportation, I guess."

Travis and I shrugged our shoulders. "Alright well the rules are #1) don't get killed and #2) try not to make such a big mess." Travis smirked. Lily nodded and disappeared and popped in front of one of the furies on the ground. She started shouting and making commotion and the fury flew toward her. Travis took that as his chance and flew at it and stabbed it right at the side. It blew up into golden dust.

"Eww gross!"Lily exclaimed, making a face. She brushed some golden dust off. Travis took to the air and attracted the attention of one of the two furies and it began to chase after him.

The last fury directed its attention at me and swiftly flew toward me and it bounded on the ground right in front me. It tried to take a swipe at me but I dodged it and took that as my chance to strike. It moved so fast that I fell to the ground and my sword skidded across the floor. _Oh darn it! _I thought as the fury pinned me to the ground. Lily appeared a couple feet away and she grabbed my sword. With the fury busy mocking how she will kill me, I silently motioned Lily to climb atop of the streetlight that was directly above us. When she was finally balanced on the top of the streetlight, I saw slight hesitation in her eyes. I pleaded with her with my eyes and determination filled her face again.

"NOW LILY!" I screamed and freed one of my arms and gave a good punch to the fury's face. She stumbled back, surprised and Lily jumped from the streetlight and pushed the sword right through the fury's body. She burst into golden dust. I ran up to hug Lily. "Thank you so much!" I took my sword and we ran to the street. Travis and the other fury were still flying around atop of the buildings. With the fury right at Travis' feet, he couldn't have time to turn around and kill it.

"Lily. Can you teleport to a spot in mid-air?" I questioned.

"Umm a little but not that high up..." She answered hesitantly. I handed her my sword.

"I want you to teleport to the top of that building right there and attract Travis' attention. Then when the time is right, you will know what to do."

"But-"Lily started.

"Don't over think it. Just listen to your body. You are a demigod. You will know and when you do just go for it." I encouraged.

Lily nodded and then vanished to the top of the building. _Good luck, Lily... _I thought to myself.

**Travis' Pov:**

I just can't shake this thing off! I swished and served around buildings and through tunnels but it just wasn't working. Then I noticed a person waving their hand at me. I recognized it was Lily and she had... Katie's sword? _Katie probably made a plan...Hope it works! _I thought as I started to fly toward the building. What happened next only took three seconds but my mind played it in slow motion.

I dashed to the building and flew right next to it. I looked and saw Lily vanish. I stopped and turned in the air to see Lily shove the sword right through the fury's head, while in the air. The fury screamed out a terrible screech and burst into golden dust.

_Oh my gods that was totally epic! _I thought, my mind still processing what just happened. Then I noticed that Lily started to fall...you know due to gravity. I dived down and caught her by her arm and flew to the ground. Katie was jumping up and down happily. I placed Lily down and then landed on the ground myself, tapping my feet together again so the wings disappeared.

"Oh my gods guys! That was totally amazing-! Oh wait hold on a sec..." Katie said before running, jumping in mid air and caught her sword. _Now that was also cool... _I smirked to myself. The crowd started to clap and cheer for us, apparently thinking that this was some big action scene. After all the excitement, we tiredly headed back up to the hotel. Katie iris messaged Chiron and told him what happened and he instructed us to bring Lily back to camp with us immediately and said he will inform the others. We took an elevator up to the top floor and Lily led the way to her family's suite.

"Mom, dad! I'm home! And my friends are with me." Lily greeted. Mrs. Williams saw us at the door and her face immediately went from happy to worry instantly.

"Oh goodness! What did you guys do? Play in a construction site?" Mrs. Williams ran up to us and she checked us all out. After a few minutes of examining us and making sure we weren't seriously hurt, we entered the living room and sat on the couch. Lily's parents came and sat across from us.

"We were attacked by monsters." Lily blurted out. _Wow... great way to start the conversation._ I thought, sarcastically. Mrs. Williams looked confused as Mr. Williams face paled.

"Travis and I strongly believe that Lily is a demigod, like us. So which one of you two isn't her biological parent?" Katie asked. Mrs. Williams hung her head low and started to cry.

"Lily, I'm really your step-mom." She cried. Lily just sat there in shock. "Your father and I met right after you were born. You weren't even a full week old yet. I saw you and instantly loved you. We met at the store and after a year we got married." Carolyn cried.

"Mr. Williams, sir, do you know who Lily's real mother is?" Travis asked gently. Mr. Williams sighed and then nodded. "Her name is Iris."

**Aaaaannnnddd that's chapter 7! Hope you guys liked the action/romance! Review plz! Oh and I changed my pen name from PhoenicianKnight to Aviara123! **

**Review! **

**-Aviara123**


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